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For the last four years, since I have been living in Mumbai, time & again I have come across the comparisons of the city with the New York City. The similarities are quite stark. (Of course, I agree Mumbai can do with a good revamp in the current transportation system it has currently, for better connectivity with the suburbs and the main town.)

New York City of course, has many sister cities in the world, Beijing, Tokyo, Madrid, London, Johannesburg and Rome, to name just a few; all being major economic centers of the world. But only few of the sister cities share New York’s status as a major seaport, like Mumbai.

Manhattan is a “must-go” destination for New York City breaks. It is the major commercial, financial, and cultural center of both the United States and the world. This part of the city has many tourist attractions, corporate headquarters the New York Stock Exchange and NASDAQ. It is the central area of New York City and the New York metropolitan region, hosting the seat of city government and a large portion of the area’s employment, business, and entertainment activities. As a result, residents of New York City’s other boroughs such as Brooklyn and Queens often refer to a trip to Manhattan as “going to the city”.

Similarly, South Mumbai is considered to be the “Manhattan of India”, with hundreds of corporate headquarters, government offices and the Bombay Stock Exchange. It is also a favorite with foreign tourists due to colonial architecture of the buildings dating back to the British era in India.

The New York City skyline and the Mumbai skyline called the “Queens Necklace” are both a toast for the eyes and a classic view from the top.

Public transit is the most popular one in both the cities due to huge population.

Both the cities have a cosmopolitan culture as people from various places settle here because of the numerous employment opportunities they offer. Unfortunately, due to their strategic financial, political and cultural importance both the cities have been victims of attacks from extremists in the past.

Many artists, songs and movies have been devoted to capture the pulse of these cities.

“There is something in the New York air that makes sleep useless.” – Simone De Beauvoir

Quite similarly, you can be stuck in a traffic jam in Mumbai way past midnight!!